Behind the Scenes of an Aircraft Hijacking

When news broke earlier this week that an unnamed individual had taken control of Egypt Air Flight 821, the horrific event unfolding before the world's eyes was less a novelty than a tragic throwback to the 1970s and 1980s, a time when terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Black September frequently resorted to hijackings to make one political point or another. Fortunately this time the explosive vest was fake, and the man, a mentally unstable divorcee, was acting alone. With the safe release of the passengers, the media frenzy surrounding the whole affair came to an anticlimactic end. Even so, the event is a testament to one of the international community's greatest achievements. When faced with a common enemy, the world's security services -- so often at odds with one another -- find ways to cooperate closely in the name of global security....